He’s an on-time God, not an our-time God | Faith

Posted
Has there ever been a time in your life that you wondered if God were ever going to answer your prayer? I feel assured that we all can answer with a resounding “Yes” to that question. The significance is not how long, where or when we pray; the significance is that we pray and it is done according to James 5:16 (KJV): “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” God hears our prayers and will deliver, but He is going to do it in His time, for Jesus said in John 18:36 (KJV): “… My kingdom is not of this world…” Therefore, He is an on-time God, not an “our-time” God. He will deliver, just not always the way in which we expect. Pastor Rick Warren (www.pastorrick.com) says there are four ways in which God answers our prayers. After reading what he shared, it opened up another new light for me about God’s timing when He answers our prayers. There is no doubt that God is going to answer in His time, but it is also going to be in His perfect will and way. These four ways that Pastor Rick shares can be real eye openers if we think about them in an optimistic way: 1) “When the request is not right, God says, ‘No.’ Just like parents say ‘no’ to their kids for a hundred good reasons, God doesn’t owe you an explanation every time he says ‘no’ to your request. 2) “When the timing is not right, God says, ‘Slow.’ There’s a big difference between a delay and a denial. ‘No’ and ‘not yet’ are not the same thing, and learning and accepting the difference shows spiritual maturity. 3) “When the request and timing are right, but you’re not right, God says, ‘Grow.’ He wants to do something in your life before he answers your prayer because you’re not yet ready to handle the answer. 4) “When the request is right and the timing’s right and you’re right, then God says, ‘Go.’ God often gives us the green light to our prayers—and it’s a reason to celebrate!” Therefore, when we make our petitions known to God, while we are waiting on Him to deliver, remember this method of “No-Slow-Grow-Go”! When we pray, God says to us, “Hold on; I’m coming. While you are waiting on Me, prepare yourself for My deliverance so that you will be ready to effectively witness how prayer can change things!” There are so many instances in the Word that reveal He is an on-time God. Within these situations, we will see that there is no specific time limit that God answered these petitioners, but when He delivered, it was right on time. Further, in each situation, there was testimony as to the power of God and how He saves. After each deliverance, there was redemption and transformation. Read and study these amazing stories about God’s delivering on time! • Daniel in the Lions’ Den — Daniel 6 • The Three Hebrew Boys in the Fiery Furnace — Daniel 3 • Jonah in the Belly of the Fish (Whale) — Jonah 1-3 • Rahab ( the Prostitute) and the Spies — Joshua 2 • The Parting of the Red Sea — Exodus 14 • Paul and Silas in Prison — Acts 16:16-40 Just to recall a personal situation from almost four years ago, I prayed and prayed to God to deliver. It seemed that the more I prayed, God just wasn’t showing up fast enough for me. It seemed as if “the night” were getting longer and longer. Then I had to focus on this verse of Scripture and what it meant in my situation: “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5 KJV) — especially the portion about “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” It simply let me know that no matter what trials we have to endure in this life, trouble will be over, and joy will come. It doesn’t say how long that the “night” (troubled time) will be, nor when the “morning” (a better day) will come; however, the promise is there that the “joy” is going to come. That “morning” came for my family and a friend’s family in eight, 11 and 20 months, respectively. I am calling on Him to deliver again. The “night” has been endlessly long, but I know God is going to show up soon because He has proven to me time and time again that He is an on-time God! In closing, I invite you to go to YouTube and enjoy Gospel singer Dottie Peoples’ version of “On Time God”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF7IdcaltiY. Have a wonderfully blessed week, and never leave home without Him! (Anna Bright is a minister and educator in Walterboro. She can be reached at abrightcolumn@lowcountry.com)